https://www.matthemsteger.com/categories/philosophy/ Recent content in philosophy on Matt Hemsteger's personal site Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us Fri, 02 May 2014 02:56:16 +0000 https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/ethics-of-time-and-place/ Wed, 07 Sep 2005 01:54:34 +0000 https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/ethics-of-time-and-place/ > Thoughts from the future: + A start to a moral foundation, though I can say that I did not + drastically change my life to be overly moral as described here. - bittorrent - ethics (they died in 2016) - the word "retarded" (ugh) I was listening to this Best of the 90’s mix I downloaded from that popular bittorrent site, when I came across that dumb song from 1995 “I Believe” by Blessid Union of Souls. https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/women-throw-in-the-towel-in-battle-for-equality/ Tue, 20 Sep 2005 22:20:30 +0000 https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/women-throw-in-the-towel-in-battle-for-equality/ > Thoughts from the future: + Ehh, I mean it would have been worrying maybe. - Lots of insensitive things said here. This article, while slightly amusing being a man, is quite disturbing as far as trends go. This article in the New York Times basically outlines how women in top Universities (we are talking Ivy League here) are more frequently planning to stop working upon having children or never working at all and being a stay at home mom. https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/escapism-for-the-disillusioned/ Sun, 09 Oct 2005 05:39:25 +0000 https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/escapism-for-the-disillusioned/ > Thoughts from the future: + Escapism does work. - This post was actually pretty depressing to read 15 years later! This post is actually something that I wrote over a year ago. I am clearing out my saved posts in WordPress and found this one and many others. Of all the little snippets of posts that are not finished, this one looks mostly complete, so I figured I would publish it. https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/what-happened-to-killer-bees/ Sat, 28 Jan 2006 17:55:49 +0000 https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/what-happened-to-killer-bees/ > Thoughts from the future: + We still don't have killer bees destroying us. Soon the Killer Bees will occupy territory north to San Francisco and Richmond, essentially half the United States Well, I for one, await our Killer Bee overlords. And I am still waiting, some ten years later. Where did they go? I guess these bees weren’t the conquering sort. xxxxxxxxxx=xx=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=======+++=xX$$Xx=+=========+++++;:::..:+===xXX+=$&x+==================++=X$$& x==========xx=====================++++++=XX$$&$$$&$x========++++++;;:..:;;+=X$x++=X#X+=======+==========+;=X$$& ==================+++++++++++++++++===xX$$$$$XXX$$$$X======+++=++++;;:;;+;=Xxx+++=X#$+;++==+++=+++++=+=++;=X$$$ ========+++++;;;;;;;;;;;;++++=======XX$$$XXXxxXXXXX$&$Xx========++++;;===XXXX+:;:;X#$;:;;;;;+++++++++++++;+X$$& =++++;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;+++========xX$$XXXXXxxxxxxXX$$$$$xxx====++++;;+=x==Xx++;::=&#X. . https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/a-little-enlightenment-post/ Thu, 02 Feb 2006 07:00:31 +0000 https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/a-little-enlightenment-post/ > Thoughts from the future: + Good advice. I loved this little story that I came across tonight and just had to post it for anyone that happens to read it. It comes from “Buddhism Plain and Simple” by Steve Hagen. There is an old story about a man who came to see the Buddha because he had heard that the Buddha was a great teacher. Like all of us, he had some problems in his life, and he thought the Buddha might be able to straighten them out. https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/the-meaning-of-life/ Wed, 27 Sep 2006 00:44:16 +0000 https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/the-meaning-of-life/ > Thoughts from the future: + Click bait. - Simplification of life. It’s fairly easy, and a construct of existentialist philosophy. There are two branches of explanation to the meaning of life. These are broken down into consequences and content. Consequences would be an expectation that life is building up to an ultimate goal, or that anything a human being does has an inevitable consequence and meaning. On the other side is content, where the meaning is within life itself. https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/how-to-deal-with-me-or-any-intj/ Mon, 26 Nov 2012 06:39:16 +0000 https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/how-to-deal-with-me-or-any-intj/ First, let’s start with a good blue print of what makes up my personality. I am an INJT. This is a personality type from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion “Does it work?” to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own sake … INTJs are known as the “Systems Builders” of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait of combining imagination and reliability. https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/lessons-from-kierkegaard-life-shouldnt-be-easy/ Sat, 26 Jan 2013 17:21:19 +0000 https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/lessons-from-kierkegaard-life-shouldnt-be-easy/ :;;;;;++++++++====XxxXXX&&&&&&&$$Xx=+;;;+x&###&$XXX$$&$$Xx$#$$X$&&&&&&$xXXXx+::=$$Xxxxxx==++++++++++==+++++++=. :;;;;;+++========+xXXXxX&#&&&$$$$$$$Xx++++x$&#&&$XXX$&&&$xx&&X$$&&&&&&$XXXXx+::+xxxxxxxx====++=++======+++=+++. :::;;+++++========xX$$XX$&$&&&&&&&&&&Xx==++x$&&$$XXX$&&&$$XX$X$$$&&&&XxXXXx+;::+xxxxxxxx===+++++=====+++++=+++. :::+++++=+==x==xx=XX$$$$$&&&&&&#&&&&&XXxxxxX$&&$$x===XX$Xxx+xX$$$$$$x=xx==+;::;=xXxXxxxx======+++===++++++++++. ::;++=====+====XxxXXX$$&$&&&&&&##&&&$$$$$$$X$$$Xxxxx=====;;+xX$XXXxx++==+;;::;+=xx=====xxx=+++=+++++++++++++++. ::;;+++===++===XXXX$$$$&&&&&&&$$$$$$XxxX$$$$&$$$XXXxx=+;;;=xXXXXx=+;+=+;::::;;++++++=xxxxx=++;+++==+++++++++++. ::;;;;+===+++xX$$$$$$$$&&&$$$XXXxx==xX&####&&&&&$&$$X==xxX$XXXx++;=x===x========++;;;;;;:;:;;;+++=x=++++++++++. :;;;;+=====+=XX$$$$&&&&#&&&&&Xx=x=x$&##########&&&####&$XxxxxxxxxxxxxX$$$$$Xx==++;+=+++;;;;:::;==x+++======++=. ;;;;;========XX$&&&&####&&&&&Xx=xX$&##############&&######&&&&&&&&&&&######&$x=++;======++++++++=+;+==========: ;;;;+=====+==xxXX$$&##&&##&$x=+=xX$&######&#######&&&&###########&&&&#####&&$x=+;::;+==x=========+++++========: ;;;;+======+=xxxxX$$&&#&&$X=+;+=x$&&##############&&&&&&#&######&&&&&&&&&#&$Xx=+;:.::;;+++;;;+++++;+++========: ;;;+=========xxXXXXX$$$$Xx+;;;+xX$&################&&&########&&&&&&&&#&&&&$XXx+:::::::::::::;;;;;++==========: ;;;===========xxXXXX$$&$x+;;;+=xX$&################&&#####&#&#&&&&#######&&$XXx+:::::.:::::;;;;;;;++===+======. :;+=====+;+++++=xXX$$$&$$x++++=xX$&####&#######################&##&######&&&XXX=;:::::;:;;;;;;;;;+=====+======. :;++=++++;;;;++++=xX$$&&&$x++++xX$&######################################&&&$Xx=+;::;;;;+++;;;;++=============: ;;;;+++++++++==++==X$$$&&&$X=++=xX$&#####################&&#################&Xx+;;:::;;;;;;;;;;+======xx======: =====+++++++==xXX$$$$$&&&$$$X=++xXX&#####&&&&&&##############################$x;:::;:::::::;;++==xxxxxxxxxx===: =x===++++++====xxXX$$$$$$X$XXx=;=X$$&#&$$$XxxxxxxXX$&&$$&&#&&##&&$XXxxxxxXX$$$x;:.::;++;+++=====xXXXXXxxXxxx==: =====+;++===x===++===xxxx=xxXX=+X$&&#&&#&&&$XXXXxx====xX$&&&#&&$x=++==xxX$$XXXx;:.::;++;++=xxx=xxXxxxXXXxxx===: =x===+++=======+++=xxxXXxxxxxx=x$&####&&&$&$XX=x=+xxxXX$&######$++=xxx+;+=xXXXx;:.::;;;;++=xxx===xxxxxx=xxx==x: =x===++=====++++++;++xXXxxxx==xX$$######&&$$$&xx++xX$X&&#&&####x=xX&$x++=xX=xx=;:.:;:::;++=xxX===============x: xxx==+;====++++++++++====$&&$XXXX$###########&&$$XX$$&#########X=x$&&&$$X$$XXX=;;::::;;+=xxXXX==++======+====x; 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==xXXXXx==+;+=xXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$$$$$$XXxX$##&&&&&$$$$XxxxxX$$$XXx==++=XXXXXXXXXXXXX$XXXXX$$$$$$&$$Xx==x===xXxXXx; ==xXXXXx===+=xXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$$$$$$$$$XXX&&#####&&$$XXXXXx==++++;;+=xxx=X$XXXXXxXX$XXXXX$$$$$$$$$$X======xXxxXx+ This dude surely knows how to party. Kierkegaard has an interesting passage in “Concluding Unscientific Postscript” where he stumbles on a curious direction for his philosophy that I find immensely appealing. https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/great-performance-does-not-always-indicate-great-ability/ Fri, 02 May 2014 02:56:16 +0000 https://www.matthemsteger.com/posts/great-performance-does-not-always-indicate-great-ability/ As a (nearly) life-long resident of the DMV area, I am a Washington Wizards fan. I have been watching these NBA play-offs and the first round match-up with the Chicago Bulls. It got me thinking about something that I have harped on many times before, but never written about: society’s imperfect view on effort. :...::.::::::.X#&X$xxXxxx:.. ;: .++;;+=xxXX$$$$$$$&&&#&&&&$&&&&&&&&=xXX:. ;+++;::;;;;;++====+;:::;;+ ::....::::::::X&XXx=;;+;::... ;...;;;;;=xXX$$$$$$$&&&&&&&&&&&######&==&x.... .;+;;;;;;;;;++===xx======= :::::::::::.:xx=$&$=Xx:...... .. :::.:::.;xXXX=+====xx$&&&#&&&&&$$XXxX&+=&+ . . .:.:;;;+;;;++++++++++=+++ .:::::::::::;=;:;x$$$$=:..::........ +x;..::=$$X=xxx===x=xXX&&&$$$XXXXXXX$==x. .;::;;;;;;;;+++;:;;++++++ .